Herbert Stevenson & Alice Ramsden of Everett, MA

Herbert John David Stevenson was born on 10 Jan 1870 in Lawrence, Ma[i]. Herbert married Alice Ramsden daughter of Robert Peel Ramsden and Ellen Louisa Wright on 19 Oct 1898 in Lawrence, Ma[ii]. Alice was born on 18 Oct 1877 in Newton, Ma[iii]. She died on 3 Mar 1926 in Boston Ma and was buried in Glenwood Cemetery, Everett, Ma[iv]. He died on 29 Apr 1941 in Everett, Ma[v]. He was buried in Glenwood Cemetery, Everett, Ma[vi].

Herbert grew up at 14 Knox St. (later they changed the street # to 58) in Lawrence,. I believe the house is between Cornish & Berkley Streets on the left if coming from Cornish to Berkley. He is listed on the Lawrence Directories on Knox St from 1888-1891[vii]. Alice & Herbert moved to Bunker Hill Rd in Lawrence shortly after getting married lived there for a few years until briefly moving to 136 Marston St. Lawrence, Ma. They relocated to Chelsea, MA by 1904, 1909 finds them in Brookline, Ma and by 1920 they are in Everett, MA[viii]. The 1924 Everett Directory finds his son Edward T. having “removed to Malden”, Herbert J. D. as an Inspector on 161 Belmont St. with Marion G. as an Operator, & Ruby H. as a Saleswoman. The 1928 Everett Directory shows Arthur, Dorothy E, Herbert & wife Alice, Herbert Jr., Marion G.& Robt W. all as “moved to Malden”. “Edw T. (Gladys) paperctr h3? Wall” are the only ones to remain through 1930. 1934 shows Herbert Jr. married to Catherine and a “wtchmn” in Boston, living at 26 Tappan, his father a cloth examiner residing at 208 Bradford with his daughter Marion. The 1938 Everett Directory has Herbert & daughters Doris [Dorothy] “smstrs”& Marion “mach opr” on Kinsman in Everett, Ma. Catherine widow of Herbert is on Clarence & Robert W. “sta firemn” is with wife Dorothy on Elm.Herbert and Alice had the following children:

1. Alice Phebe Stevenson was born in Oct 29 1899* in Lawrence, Ma[ix]. Alice married first after 1920 Wesley Lawrence Normine Sr.[x] b: Oct 23, 1894/5 in Everett, Ma[xi]. He died Apr 3, 1951 in Roxbury, Ma[xii]. They divorced and she married Edward Sparks between 1933-1944[xiii]. She died Nov. 21, 1944 and is buried in Glenwood Cemetery Everett, Mass[xiv]. In 1930 they are on Hillside Ave in Everett, Ma indexed on ancestry.com as “Norwine”[xv]

2. Marion Gertrude Stevenson was born on 12 Oct 1901 in Lawrence, Ma[xvi]. She died in July 1985[xvii]. She is buried with her parents and never married[xviii]. She used to come to visit when I was a kid on holidays mostly, and we’d visit her in Everett as well.

4. Ruby Helen Stevenson was born on 5 Aug 1904 in Chelsea, Ma[xxi]. She died May 1953. Ruby married George Goodwin[xxii]. They lived in Berlin, NH as of 1936[xxiii]

5. Dorothy Evelyn Stevenson was born on 6 Feb 1907 in Chelsea, Ma[xxiv]. She died July 1981[xxv]. Dorothy married John Prokop[xxvi]. This Dorothy Prokop is a witness on Mildred Gladys (Moreshead) Stevenson’s naturalization papers and they were great friends[xxvii].

6. Herbert Stevenson was born on Feb 16 1909 in Brookline, Ma[xxviii]. Herbert married Katherine (Kay) Starrett [xxix]. He died in an auto accident at age 27 on Aug 221936 in Plymouth, MA. There seem to be a couple versions of the story & it seems perhaps one version of the story was told initially and another was told the day after. I have not looked into the outcome of the arrest of Mr. Swenson. It seems like he is missed on the 1940 Census, although he & his wife Frances are in the Lynn/Saugus Directories through at least 1963. He was probably born about 1910 if he was close to Herbert’s age. It must have been extremely difficult to lose a friend and live with that if he was in fact driving & drunk. [xxx]

Boston Herald Sunday Aug 23 1936, pg 4: 1 Killed, 2 Hurt as Car Upsets, Everett Man is Victim of Crash as Lights Fail in a Dense Fog, Plymouth, Aug 22 – Herbert Stevenson, 59 of Myrtle Street Everett was killed and his wife and another woman injured tonight when their car overturned on the Jordan road. Mrs Stevenson and a friend Mrs Frances Sevenson 336 M street Saugus were taken to Jordan Hospital. Police were told the crash occurred when Stevenson’s headlights suddenly went out and the car missed the road in a dense fog.”

Local Everett Paper about Aug 24 1936 it states: Accident Happens on Cape Loses Road as Auto lights Go Out, Wife & Two others Escape – Herbert Stevenson, 27, of 59 Myrtle street was killed early yesterday and his wife and two other passengers were injured when the car which he was driving through Jordan St in the town of Plymouth on the cape, left the road and jumped down a 12-foot embankment turning over. His wife Katherine, aged 21, the former Katherine Starrett, and Mr & Mrs Francis Swenson of 33 Main St Saugus were cut about the face and bruised, receiving treatment at a Plymouth Hospital. According to authorities, Stevenson, well-known in this city, was driving along the road when the lights of his car suddenly went out causing him to lose his way in the fog and the machine shot off the road and toppled over the embankment. The deceased was very popular in this city. He was employed as a second class fireman in a Boston bank. Surviving are his wife, Katherine, two children, a son [XXXXX]; and a daughter [XXXXX], his father Herbert Stevenson Sr; three brothers: Robert and Arthur both of this city; Edward of Linden and four sisters, Dorothy and Marion Stevenson, and Mrs Alice Normine, all of Everett, and Mrs George Goodwin of Berlin, NH.”
Boston Herald Aug 24 1936 pg 4 Saugus Man Held in Motor Fatality Plymouth, Aug 23 – Charles J. Swenson, driver of the car in which Herbert Stevenson 59 of Myrtle Street Everett was killed last night was arrested late today and charged with reckless driving. Swenson was also booked for operating a car while under the influence of liquor and driving without a license. He lives at 366 Main St, Saugus.”;

7. Robert William Stevenson was born on Feb 11 1912 in Brookline, Ma[xxxi]. He died in Sept 1973[xxxii]. Robert married Dorothy Perry[xxxiii].

8. Arthur David Stevenson was born on Sep 11 1922[xxxiv]. He and his wife lived in Windham, ME, but Arthur past away in Apr 20 2010[xxxv]. Arthur married PhyllisTaylor[xxxvi]. He was in the Merchant Marines and served 4 years during WWII. He co-established Little Leaque in Windham, ME in 1967 and won several coaching awards. They had two sons & two daughters.[xxxvii]